In the commercial food industry, hydrogenated oil and/or mono-diglycerides are added to fat-containing food products to stabilize the fat to avoid fat separation from the other components of the food product. However, in the organic and natural food industries, hydrogenated fats are not acceptable. As a result, fat separation in organic or natural food products is quite prevalent. As consumers become more aware of potential health problems associated with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats, and the transesterification of the fatty acid chains that occurs upon hydrogenation (resulting in commonly known “trans-fats”), mainstream commercial food manufacturers will continue to attempt to limit or even eliminate the amount of hydrogenated fats and oils used in food products.
Typically, natural or organic food products containing oil, such as peanut or other nut butters, begin to show oil separation soon after the food product is made. It is quite common for consumers to see a layer of oil that has separated out from the product while the product is on the retail shelf. Not only does the separated layer of oil make the product less appealing, it also makes the product more difficult to use because the texture of the product changes as the oil migrates. The textural changes cannot be overcome simply by mixing by hand, since the product beneath the separated oil layer has become quite solid. The difficulty in using the product is exacerbated by the fact that often, natural or organic food products contain little or no added preservatives, and therefore must be refrigerated once opened to retain freshness. Refrigerating intensifies the problem because the already solidified product becomes even more difficult for the consumer to use at cooler temperatures.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2004/0096567 describes an organic peanut butter formulation. This formulation includes palm stearin as a stabilizing agent, in order to reduce the separation of oil from the peanut butter.